MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN – The Review

The modern world is both complicated and yet very simplified. One on one conversations and the work that is required to converse in person with someone has been replaced with email or a quick text message. An expression of deep sadness or eternal gratitude has been replaced by an emoji icon. Even a feeling that is specific to you in that very moment has been replaced with universal acronyms like WTF or OMG. These are all instances of how life has become inanely simple, but where the complication comes into play is how so much is lost in translation. Communication is a defining part of our humanity and yet it has become secondary (or even less) to other factors in our busy lives. We are all running around with our head down in our own bubble. Because of this the modern world can be seen as a rather cold and unwelcoming place.

Jason Reitman does more than just show you this side of the world with his new film MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN; he practically slams your face repeatedly into the digital screen as to wake us up to a very real problem. His adaptation of Chad Kultgen’s novel of the same name is as unsubtle as I assume the source material is. This is Reitman’s fourth adaptation of an original novel and his track record proves he is drawn to material that is loud and proud. THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, UP IN THE AIR, and now this all leave any form of subtext at the door. The message here seems that technology has created a rift in our everyday lives. But in telling a story about how emotionless and distant we have become with one another, Reitman has in fact achieved his goal by giving the audience what he wanted to showcase but maybe not the experience he exactly intended – a herd of mindless drones that we don’t actually care about.

In a way that recalls the work of Robert Altman, the film revolves around a large cast of… yes, you guessed it… the title is indeed correct. Several families and their subsequent problems are interweaved with one another. Adam Sandler plays a father and husband that struggles to connect with his wife and kids and turns to an escort that he found online for solace. Judy Greer plays a mother who encourages her daughter’s modeling career through overly sexual photo shoots that she orchestrates and posts online. Ansel Elgort and Kaitlyn Dever play two high school teens who form a connection despite their parents pulling them in different directions; Elgort is feeling the guilt of quitting the football team in favor of focusing on his online Warcraft-esque game and Dever is dealing with an overly protective mother played by Jennifer Garner who reads and monitors her daughter’s Facebook profile and text messages. All of this and so much more are spotlighted in a tech trendy manner with a dash of “classic” narration by Emma Thompson – in a role that seems only to stroke the ego of screenwriter and novelist Chad Kultgen.

Having such a large and diverse cast does mean that there are going to be some standouts amongst the rest. Elgort and Dever as the star-crossed lovers deliver a very real and believable relationship, even if sparks aren’t exactly ignited. The same could be said about the relationship between Dean Norris and Judy Greer. Norris in particular carries a level of heartache in his scenes that feels genuine even if it is just another dramatic element for Reitman to overstress.

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN is a dreary drama that sticks to its style at the cost of the audience’s enjoyment. Reading text messages and Internet searches across the screen become tiresome, and seeing one note characters shamble through their unhappy lives is indeed quite a drag. Aside from a scene where one of the characters is getting her photo taken, I’m almost certain no one actually smiles in the film. The same could be said about the audience. I’m all for a heavy relationship drama. I love characters that have to overcome a problem with their significant other or with a friend or foe. However, good drama rests entirely on characters successfully interacting with one another while simultaneously engaging the audience. When you have a film where the basis of the story is about these artificial connections, how are we supposed to connect with them if they can’t even connect with each other?

Overall rating: 2 out of 5

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN opens in wide release this Friday, Oct. 17